Web-footed aquatic birds, particularly gulls, have been found to be a severe safety hazard at airports adjacent to bodies of water. For example, at Kennedy Airport in 1975, a jet crashed to the ground immediately upon taking off when a large number of gulls was taken up into the jet engines. The gulls roost in areas adjacent the runways. The gulls may use the runways as areas upon which to drop clams in order to break open the clams and then, after feeding upon the clams, the gulls roost in the grassy areas adjacent the runways. As a jet races down the runway prior to take-off, the approaching loud noise startles the gulls and the gulls rise into the air together as the plane passes by, introducing the substantial risk of accidents of the type of which the aforementioned accident is an example.
Air cannons, shotguns and other devices for intermittently emitting loud sounds momentarily frighten the gulls but do not permanently change their roosting habits.
It is therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a system for adverse conditioning web-footed aquatic birds, particularly gulls, against roosting in an area.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the following description of the invention.